Reploid High
by MEGAMANX411
Summary: AU story, featuring Mega Man X based characters and lots of other anime influences. What does Reploid High have in store for Ekkesu? Rated T for fanservice, some language.
1. Transfer Student Ekkesu!

**Disclaimer: **OK, this story is a bit of a strange one, an AU story. It will draw a lot of things from Mega Man X, including character names, back stories, references, and the like, but will not be directly within the series per se. Instead, it will be a sort of alternate universe, also in a different time period. It basically features those characters in a different form all just living their lives in high school, so it's influence is really drawn from a lot of different Japanese anime that use it (_Azumanga Daioh_ and _Fruits Basket_, just to name a few).

I do realize ideas like this have been done before; still, I wanted to give it a shot. So before anyone shouts that this is cliché, I'd just like to point out this is only an experiment I wanted to try, and I may not even continue. It all depends on what reception this story gets. There will be a lot of different influences from different anime properties, none of which are owned by me. Note that Capcom owns Mega Man X and all related properties, and all other animes sited and drawn from in this story are property of their respective owners. The basic premise of this story is to bring a story about high school life, from the perspective of characters based off of personas of the Mega Man X universe, with some other elements thrown in the mix. There is going to be comedy (at least I hope), action, possible romance, and the like! Enjoy.

**Reploid High**  
Chapter 1  
_"Transfer Student, Ekkesu! Welcome to Reploid High!"_  
By MEGAMANX411

It was a beautiful fall day in Tokyo, Japan. The sun was shining, the temperature was nice and cool, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Too bad for them, it was time for school. Children of all ages could be seen trudging to their various schools, wearing their respective uniforms for their schools. Some girls wore their typical green or blue skirts, whereas male students had to wear an all black uniform; the uniforms had some standards despite the different levels of the curriculum.

One of the more renowned schools was simply known as "Reploid High," with its founder, professor Thomas Xavier Hikari. He was a brilliant man in virtually all ways, and everyone expected his son, Rock Hikari, to follow in his footsteps perfectly. Rock had proved to be slightly above average, but never extraordinary…still, it was evident to his father he had more potential. Which was exactly why his father decided to transfer him to Reploid High.

The school building was enormous. Around it were beautiful cherry blossom trees, and the landscaping was just beautiful. It looked it was taken straight from a post card. The campus was large, with lots of grass, walkways, picnic areas, and the like. The building itself, however, was the most impressive. Because of the school's amazing level of funding, it appealed to virtually all demographics—it had an impressive art department, a wonderful music program, exemplary math and science professors/labs, and just about everything else in the school was equally amazing.

The school even housed some of the most popular and well-known students around. Yuuki Kurenai, a well-known pretty boy all around, is easily identifiable by his long blonde hair and green eyes…and his legions of fan-girls refer to him lovingly as "Zero." He apparently had a bad history, and was considered a bad kid. His step-father, professor Wily, was apparently known for being particulary cruel. Yuuki changed one day though, when the former school president Youkai Kuroi beat him in a fight—because of his brutal campaigning, he was nicknamed "Sigma."

Standing outside the school in an all black uniform was a new transfer student. His glassy blue eyes and short brown hair were easily identifiable traits, and in his hands were his transfer papers. A bag was slung over his shoulder, and he dutifully walked towards the building.

"Here it is. Reploid High School, academy for the gifted elite of Japan. Sure looks like a big place. It's hard to imagine that I belong here. I mean, my father said that it's my destiny to go here and fight for my family name, but jeez…this place sure looks intimidating. I just hope I can fit in here…" announced the unknown student.

As the young student finally reached the building, he let out a sigh and opened the door. After entering the lobby, he noticed all of the commemorative plaques and awards everywhere. He marveled at it, but concluded that he wouldn't be able to win anything like that. He slowly walked past it all, and made his way to the main office area. After checking in there, he was finally able to head over to his class. He was a little late, so class had already begun. He made his way up the stairs, and to his classroom—1-B. He looked at his transcript one more time, and sighed. A look of embarrassment washed over his face.

"Oh jeez…I didn't realize I was so late…I just hope everything turns out ok. Whew, ok, I'll just introduce myself, and that's all, problem solved. It's just a new school; everything should be fine…" he whispered to himself.

He knocked on the door. He could hear footsteps, and slowly, the door before him opened. Standing in front of him was the professor, who did not look amused at all. His face had a very puffy white beard, and the rest of the hair on his head was equally white. His eyes were a glassy, faint blue, almost gray. The rest of the class looked a little anxious to see what was going on too.

"And you are…?" the teacher asked in a monotonous tone.

"Um...hi...I'm…I'm…Rock," the student replied hesitantly.

There was a really awkward silence. Everyone was really quiet, waiting for what would happen next.

"I'm professor Cain. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" the professor added.

Rock nodded hesitantly. He gulped, and walked to the front of the classroom, in front of the board. The room was pretty nice, and each desk had its own PC, good ones too. The room was very clean, and the accommodations were perfect.

"H-hi…everyone. My name is Rock Hikari—" Rock began.

After those words left Rock's lips, something happened. Something clicked in the professor's brain, and for some reason or another, he went completely insane.

"Wait a minute!" the professor roared. "YOU'RE professor Hikari's son? Then you really shouldn't bother with introductions, come, come, have a seat at the front of the class! You! Lower-end moronic students! Move out of the way! You don't hold that much importance!"

Rock instantly became really embarrassed, and started flailing about, trying to get the professor to try and calm down. He didn't want THIS much attention. He looked around the room, only to see some students rolling on the floor laughing, others stifling giggles, and he could swear that there was some kid in the back ready to jump out the window. Either way, he was still embarrassed.

"Really, professor, it's ok! You don't have to make a fuss, I'll just go sit over there and—"

"Nonsense! Over here, over here!" the professor continued, practically shoving Rock into a chair. "Now, is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?"

"Maybe you can try relaxing a little," a calm voice replied.

Rock turned around slowly to see the face of Yuuki Kurenai, one of the most popular students his age. Even though he had never met him personally, he had heard about his exploits. It was true, he really did have super-long blonde hair just like people said. He was immensely calm, and apparently, his legions of fan-girls even followed him into his class. The professor faced Yuuki and started to look a little worried. It seemed even he was a little intimidated by Yuuki.

"Oh, yes, yes, Yuuki, you're right. We should introduce Rock here to our standard classroom procedure—"

Unfortunately for him, the bell had already rung. Class was over. Students picked up their books at light speed and dashed out the door, leaving footprints on the poor professor. He groaned and got back up, just in time to give Rock his housing information. Rock nodded at the professor and accepted the slip of paper, and was then greeted by his classmate, Yuuki.

"Hey there. You're new to this class, but don't worry, you'll do fine," he said.

Rock smiled and nodded. No one had ever been so nice to him before. Maybe things would be better than he thought they would be.

"So, your name's Rock?" Yuuki asked.

"Yeah…but, my friends call me Ekkesu," Ekkesu replied.

"Ah, looks like you're rooming with me, then. I got a call about you earlier today, so I've already gotten ready. Just to warn you though, there may still be some fan-girls left in there somewhere. I kind of lose track of them after awhile, you know. Anyway, if you ever need help here, feel free to give me a shout, I'll come right on over. Once you learn how things work here, you'll do just fine," Yuuki replied.

"Thanks Yuuki!" Ekkesu replied, nodding happily.

"Oh yeah, and you can call me Zero, seeing as we're going be nicknames. Catch ya later Ekkesu!" Zero replied, returning to his entourage.

As Zero left, Ekkesu stood there, mesmerized. On his very first day, he ended up being horribly late…despite that, the professor went nuts over his arrival, and he seemingly became instant friends with one of the most popular and influential students!

"Things might just be looking up for me…" Ekkesu whispered, grabbing his books.


	2. Love Is In The Air? That Was Quick!

**Author Note**: Well, this story is getting started...I apologize to everyone if it's cliche or stupid, lol. Also, keep in mind that nicknames and real names will be used interchangeably, so I hope it doesn't become too confusing. Just remember that Rock, the main character of the story, goes by his nickname Ekkesu in addition to his given name. Sort of like real life, eh? Only the central characters will have this issue though, so side characters won't have much to worry about. I'm still having some issues developing the major plotline, but I figured I'd just get started and see where it goes from there.

**Reploid High  
**Chapter 2  
_"Love Is In The Air? That Was Quick!"_

After a long day of class and introductions, Ekkesu was getting worn out. Just about every teacher literally jumped out of their seat and freaked out when they heard his name. Some of the students even made a big deal about it. Heck, they even had a parade for him right in the middle of class! Ekkesu really didn't want that much attention, but he just thought he'd suffer through it for a few days, and everything would blow over. As for now, he thought he'd just have a bite to eat and get some rest.

"Man...what a long day...I'm starved," Ekkesu muttered to himself, rubbing his empty stomach.

Ekkesu let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. Life on campus seemed to be pretty hectic, at least for him. If everyday was going to be this exciting, he didn't know how much more of it he could take. He then glanced up and had a good look around. It was getting pretty late, and he remembered that he hadn't spent much time at all studying any of the new materials he had been given. The library was close by, so he decided to head on over there. As he was walking, Ekkesu took a certain delight in looking at the cherry blossom trees and well-kept campus buildings. It certainly was a beautiful campus, if anything.

"I hope I can get through this studying quickly...I don't want to spend all night here," Ekkesu thought aloud, walking into the library.

The building was definitely open, but there wasn't much going on. Ekkesu shrugged his shoulders, and just headed on in anyway. Having no one around was a nice change every once in a while. It was finally quiet, anyway. Just as he was beginning to take some books off of the shelves, Ekkesu thought he heard a noise. Maybe someone else was in the room?

"Is someone there?" Ekkesu asked, his voice relatively meek.

"Rock-san? Is that you?" a female voice responded.

Ekkesu peered around the corner to see one of his classmates sitting at one of the tables. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and she also came off to Ekkesu as an intellectual. He didn't know her very well, and wasn't sure what to say, but he thought this might be a good way to start making friends.

"Yes, I'm Rock. And you are?" he replied, giving a smile.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you, Rock-san," Sakura replied, giving him a smile in return.

Ekkesu looked at the table to see that she had already been investing time studying some of the same subjects he planned to go over. He thought they could do some studying together, seeing as they are in the same class. He was a little nervous to ask, but he saw no harm in it.

"Would it be alright if I studied with you, Sakura-san?" Ekkesu replied.

"Sure, that sounds fine by me. Have a seat," Sakura answered, pulling out a chair for Ekkesu to sit on.

He calmly sat down, set his books on the table, and began to read. At first, things were awkwardly silent. Neither Sakura nor Rock had said anything for awhile, and they both just kept on reading the text books they had taken off the shelves. However, that changed when Ekkesu's stomach grumbled. His face quickly turned red and a dumbfounded smile appeared on his face. Sakura only chuckled and smiled back at him.

"Guess you're hungry, huh?" Sakura asked, sounding a little sarcastic.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten today..." Ekkesu replied, almost whispering.

"Nothing? At all? That's no good, come on. We can save the studying for another time, you should really get something to eat. I'll show you a pretty good place on campus," Sakura offered, extending her hand to help Ekkesu up.

Ekkesu blushed a little as he took ahold of Sakura's hand. They both gathered up the books they had taken, put them away, and headed out the door. Ekkesu was feeling pretty happy about his decision to go to the library at that time. Sakura seemed to be very nice, and he felt like he made another good friend. Not to mention he was happy to finally get something for his hungry stomach. Sakura led him to a nearby cafe, which served a variety of meals and drinks--a campus-exclusive place that Sakura particularly enjoyed. Upon entering, they both noted that the place was practically empty, save for the kitchen staff of course. The cafe was basically a few tables, in addition to a main counter with stools by it. The building was tidy, and the bulletin boards were filled to the brim with student advertisements. Just smelling the food make Ekkesu feel better.

"Hello there," said Sakura, scanning the menu. "I'll have some tea, please."

Sakura looked over to Ekkesu, and prompted him to go up and order what he'd like next. He quickly scanned the menu and ordered the first thing that came to mind.

"Umm...let's see...I'll have the miso soup and an order of tea, please," Ekkesu announced, feeling relieved already.

"You didn't order very much," Sakura replied, a smile on her face.

"I don't eat very much. Thanks a lot for showing me this place, by the way," said Ekkesu.

"Oh, it's no problem," Sakura answered, shaking her head. "You seem like a nice person, and besides, it was pretty obvious you were hungry, hehe."

"Yeah..." Ekkesu stammered, rubbing the back of his head in embarassment.

"I noticed that in class you go by a nickname...what was it? Ekusu?" asked Sakura, looking a little intrigued.

"Ekkesu. I don't really mind if you want to call me Rock or Ekkesu though, both are fine. That nickname just came from my old-school, it's kind of silly. It's just that it sounds close to "X" the variable, like I was some sort of science porject for my dad to tinker with..." replied Ekkesu, his voice trailing off near the end.

"Ok Ekkesu-kun," Sakura replied, still smiling. "I think the name is pretty interesting. But what do you mean by 'science project'?"

Ekkesus felt like he was getting into things that were a little too personal, but for some reason, he didn't seem to mind it at all. Again, she seemed like a very nice girl, and he felt like he could open up to her a little. He was just thankful that someone at the school was talking to him.

"Well, my dad thinks that I have great potential. I don't know, I don't think I'm anywhere near as great as he thinks I am. It's not like he pushes me hard or anything, it's just like I feel that he has very high expectations, and tries to get me to do something to show the world I'm so "fantastic" or something. To me it seems like I'm letting him down though..." Ekkesu answered, lowering his head.

Sakura looked at Ekkesu intently. She considered herself to be relatively intuitive, and she saw that Ekkesu was a nice guy. She definitely knew that he was smart, and aside from the obvious observation of calling him shy, she felt that he was a deep thinker and someone that would make a good friend.

"Well, I'm not too sure about your family, but it seems to me that you're a good kid. I mean, you got in here, didn't you? The entrance exam requirements are pretty rough, and you do seem to be pretty dedicated to studying. Your father probably just wants what's best for you--"

Before Sakura could continue, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their order. They both looked over, smiled, and said "thanks" to the waitress. The conversation then switched gears while they enjoyed their orders.

"So Sakura, do you like this school?" Ekkesu asked.

"Yeah, it's great," Sakura replied, taking a sip of her tea. "It's a nice community, and the classes are a nice challenge. I hope to get some job with computers, and this school has some excellent courses to offer for the careers I'm interested in."

"That's cool. It seems nice to me, I'm just a little..." Ekkesu began, having trouble finishing his thought.

"Shy. I can tell. It's alright though, you'll make friends in no time. You've already made one, anyway," Sakura replied, giving him another smile.

"Thanks...that means a lot to me," Ekkesu answered, now feeling much better than he did before.

Ekkesu thought to himself that maybe life at his new school wouldn't be so bad after all. It seemed like things were going welll now, so maybe things would continue to get better. Both Yuuki and Sakura were both very nice people, and he felt like he was beginning to make friends.

"Well, it is getting a little late. We should probably head back to our dorms for the night. It was a pleasure meeting you though Rock...oh, I mean Ekkesu, he he. I'll see you tomorrow," said Sakura as she was getting up.

"Yeah, it was very nice meeting you too. See you tomorrow, Sakura-san," Ekkesu answered, smiling again.

With that, both Sakura and Ekkesu walked out the door, said another short goodbye, and started walking separate ways. Before she got too far though, Sakura turned around and went back up to Ekkesu. She had a slip of paper and a pen out.

"Oh, before I forget..." Sakura began, scribbling down on the paper. "Here's my instant message handle and cell number, if you miss me at class. If you want to call me to study again or to hang out at the coffee shop, I'd be more than happy to do so."

"Oh, thank you!" Ekkesu replied, almost dumbfounded.

Ekkesu quickly regained consciousness and returned the favor by giving Sakura his instant message handle and his cell phone number. After another pleasant exchange of smiles, thank yous, and byes, the meeting was over, and Sakura was headed off to her dorm for the night. Ekkesu finally turned around and headed towards his own place for the night. He felt like today got a whole lot better in a short amount of time. He met another nice friend and it seemed as though his campus experience was beginning to turn around. Maybe things would turn out for the better after all. He wasn't sure of what tomorrow would bring, but he certainly hoped that Sakura would play a part in it...


	3. A Love Battle? Already?

**Disclaimer**: Well, if you've been following this story, you may have realized the references used. _Mega Man_ is still copyright of Capcom. However, there is one original character that will be thrown into the mix--Katsumi. She will play a larger role in the story, but unlike some of the other main characters, does not have a _Mega Man X_-based counterpart. As you may have guessed, Rock/Ekkesu is based off of X, Yuuki/Zero is based off of Zero, and Sakura is based off of Alia. There isn't really an elaborate plot in the making (at least not yet anyway), so things are mostly just going for the romance side of things. Based on what kind of support and ideas this story gets though, it may go in different directions. Oh yeah, and if you're not familiar with Japanese titles: "-san" is a typical label of respect (almost like a Mr./Ms.), "-kun" is a term used mostly for younger boys, and "-chan" is a term used to denote something cute (most often used for younger girls, although it can be used for boys, pets, etc). "-sama" is a very high level of respect

**Reploid High  
**Chapter 3  
_"A Love Battle? Already?"_

Ekkesu, after a good night's sleep, was ready for another day. For some reason though, he felt much better today than he did before at all. He couldn't quite explain it. His day before had been going pretty awful for the most part, but thankfully, Sakura managed to turn things around. She did seem very nice. And Ekkesu was grateful that she not only offered to study with him, but seemed to want to be friends too. He felt pretty isolated from everyone due to all the commotion that the teachers and staff were making, so that was a good experience. Little did he know that his relationships were going to get a bit more complex...

**Sakura's Point-Of-View:**

"Ekkesu-kun is a nice guy," I answered, giving my roommate an innocent look.

I was at my dorm, getting ready for another day of class. My roommate, a girl named Katsumi, had heard about my meeting with the new transfer student, and had wanted to hear some details from me before I left. Katsumi, unlike me, has more of a punk-ish appearance, with purple hair and pierced ears. She still has to wear the school uniform, and unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to wear any of her usual accessories when she was in class (such as her gem-lined collar). The funny thing is, she actually saw Ekkesu and really thought he looked nice. So I offered to talk to him for her.

"So, what's he like? I mean, more about his personality, his likes and dislikes..." Katsumi asked, looking a little eager.

"Honestly, he seems really naive. I can tell that he's very honest, and he seems very sweet. Heck, if you weren't interested I may be inclined to try and pick him up myself," I replied, kidding my roommate.

"Maybe I could try talking to him today...I don't know though, I'm kind of nervous..." Katsumi sighed, getting her bag.

"I think you should try. I don't think he has interest in anyone yet, so I don't see any need to get worked up," I answered, trying to make Katsumi feel better.

She is a really nice girl, so I don't want her to get her feelings hurt. I know that she's had some trouble with relationships in the past, but Ekkesu seems like a guy that she could really hit it off with. I just hope that Ekkesu didn't get the wrong idea with me. I mean, I'd love to be his friend, but romantically, I don't think I'm that interested. At least not yet anyway. Katsumi asked me to talk to him for her, and that's what I did. I just hope that she can work up the courage to actually talk to him today.

**Normal Point-Of-View**:

"Come on, spill it Ekkesu!" Yuuki shouted, a big grin on his face. "Tell me how things went for you last night. I heard you mumble something in your sleep about meeting a girl."

Ekkesu looked at his roommate with a horrified expression. He had no idea that he said ANYTHING like that in his sleep. An anime-style sweatdrop appeared on his forehead, and he rubbed the back of his head. His face turned bright red.

"I...um...what I mean to say is...well, I did talk to Sakura last night..." Ekkesu muttered, trying to form a cohesive sentence.

"Aha! So you DID meet a girl. Don't worry, you didn't say anything in your sleep, I was just messing with you," Yuuki replied, giving Ekkesu yet another big grin.

"That wasn't cool Yuuki-sama..." Ekkesu answered, feeling really stupid.

"Ah, don't worry about it. So how did it go? Details man!" Yuuki continued, seeming genuinely interested.

"We just studied for a bit, talked, and then stopped and got something to drink. She was very nice to me," Ekkesu answered, in a polite manner.

Yuuki just frowned. He was hoping for some more elaborate details, like a drawn-out story of how he had fallen in love or something. Or at least something more interesting. Anyway, a flustered expression came on his face, and fire appeared in his eyes.

"Ekkesu! It's time that we make you into a real man! I will take it upon myself to make you the second best ladies man on campus, no matter what. You have the potential!" Yuuki shouted, looking like he was giving a victory speech.

"Umm...Yuuki-sama..." Ekkesu protested, "I don't know if I should do anything like that..."

"Come on man!" Yuuki answered, patting Ekkesu on the back. "Do you like her?"

Ekkesu cocked his head and thought for a minute. He did like her, that was true. He thought that Sakura was a great person. She was very kind to him, and had been one of the few people to extend a hand of friendship to him. Still though, he had never experienced the whole dating scene before. He never had a girlfriend, and had no idea of what to do. He wouldn't argue the fact that he liked Sakura, but he didn't know if he wanted to become her boyfriend or anything. Yuuki seemed to determine to play the matchmaker though.

"Well...yeah, I do like her. But I don't know Yuuki-sama, isn't this just a little fast?" Ekkesu questioned, looking a little worried.

"Nah, it's ok. I actually think I may know where she is, in fact. Let's go see her," Yuuki offered, grabbing Ekkesu by the hand.

"But Yuuki-sama! Wait a minute! I don't know if I'm ready!" Ekkesu shouted.

Yuuki pulled Ekkesu along quickly, trying to direct him to the library. Due to Yuuki's quick maneuvering, they made it there in no time. He knew the campus pretty well. Once they got to the door, he looked back at him, gave him another grimace, and then let go.

"And here we are. Oh yeah, if you're wondering how I knew she was here, it's because she always studies here around this time. She stops in the library once in the late morning, and again later at night. I've studied with her before...but it's boring. Go on in buddy!" announced Yuuki, now literally pushing Ekkesu through the doors.

"Wait...Yuuki!" Ekkesu protested, trying futilely to stop.

Ekkesu was now in the library. He looked around nervously. Because of all the commotion, everyone in the library was staring at him. It made him very really uneasy, and now he just wanted to either go straight home or throw up. He honestly considered doing both. That was when he heard a voice.

"Hey Ekkesu-kun! Come sit with us!"

Ekkesu looked over to see Sakura...and another girl. He didn't recognize her at first, but she seemed really nervous. She had a hard time looking right at him, and seemed like she was holding back saying something.

_Does that girl not like me or something? I wonder what I did_... thought Ekkesu.

Sakura gestured for Ekkesu to come over, so he obeyed, and pulled up a chair. He sat down, feeling a little nervous at first. Sakura he knew was nice, but still, he felt like he had butterflies in his stomach. And this other girl made him feel a little uneasy. She was pretty, but he thought he may have offended her or something. He thought that she didn't like him being there.

"Ekkesu-kun, this is my friend and roommate Katsumi-chan. She's new here herself, so be sure to make her feel welcome!" Sakura announced.

_Come on Katsumi-chan, talk to him! This is your chance!_ thought Sakura.

"H-hi Ekkesu-san..." Katsumi whispered, her voice soft.

_He really is cute...and nice...why can't I talk to him? I feel too nervous! Oh no..._ thought Katsumi.

"Hi there Katsumi-san..." Ekkesu replied, his voice soft as well.

"Would you care to study with us? Katsumi-chan and I plan on meeting her twice a day, so if you like, you could join us. Maybe we could do something else too, like grab a bite to eat. What do you say, Ekkesu-kun?" Sakura asked, looking quite cheerful.

_Please accept, Ekkesu-kun!_ thought Katsumi.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Ekkesu answered, smiling. "You two seem very nice, I'd like that."

_I don't think I can talk to Sakura now...I feel too embarassed..._ thought Ekkesu. _Maybe another time..._

_Maybe I'll get a chance to talk to Ekkesu-kun another time. I'm so glad he accepted!_ thought Katsumi

_Hopefully I'll be able to set up Katsumi-chan and Ekkesu-kun...tonight, I'll have to "skip" out on studying, so they'll get some time alone. Better give her a good headstart though,_ thought Sakura

"Say, Ekkesu-kun, I actually won't be able to make it to the usual study period tonight. But, I do know that Katsumi-chan needs some help in her math class. Do you think you could give her a hand?" asked Sakura.

Ekkesu was a little shocked. He was hoping to get some time alone with Sakura, but his hopes were shot down. He looked over at Katsumi. She seemed nice, but Ekkesu just didn't think that she liked him at all. Still, it was a reasonable request, and it'd be a nice thing to do.

"Sure, I can try. I'm not that much of a whiz myself, but maybe Katsumi-san and I can help each other on the upcoming homework. What time should I meet you here, Katsumi-san?" Ekkesu asked.

"Um..." Katsumi began, struggling to find the right words. "Around s-seven...i-if that's ok with you..."

"Yeah, that sounds good."


End file.
